Finnish people recycle quite a lot. Every household tends to separate at least bio waste and mixed waste, carton and paper. Housing associations almost always have their own waste bins for these four different types of waste. In addition, there are collection points for other types of waste; namely glass, metal and hazardous waste such as batteries, lamps and so on. These collection points are usually situated next to grocery stores. Unfortunately, the consistency of recycling collection points leaves room for improvement. Some of the collection points are very comprehensive, others not so much. Especially to a student this may bring problems, because the closest collection point to the student may lack for instance the bin for metal waste and the second closest collection point may be quite a distance away.
Deposit bottles and cans
Finland utilizes a deposit bottle and can system. This means that when one buys a bottled or canned beverage in a store, the price includes a deposit that can be earned back by returning the bottle to the designated machine. These machines can be found in almost every grocery store. The deposit varies between 20 and 40 cents, depending on the material and size of the bottle or can. Collecting cans after a party can be very profitable and this is done quite often in Finland – especially among students.
Finnish people recycle quite a lot. Every household tends to separate at least bio waste and mixed waste, carton and paper. Housing associations almost always have their own waste bins for these four different types of waste. In addition, there are collection points for other types of waste; namely glass, metal and hazardous waste such as batteries, lamps and so on. These collection points are usually situated next to grocery stores. Unfortunately, the consistency of recycling collection points leaves room for improvement. Some of the collection points are very comprehensive, others not so much. Especially to a student this may bring problems, because the closest collection point to the student may lack for instance the bin for metal waste and the second closest collection point may be quite a distance away.
Deposit bottles and cans
Finland utilizes a deposit bottle and can system. This means that when one buys a bottled or canned beverage in a store, the price includes a deposit that can be earned back by returning the bottle to the designated machine. These machines can be found in almost every grocery store. The deposit varies between 20 and 40 cents, depending on the material and size of the bottle or can. Collecting cans after a party can be very profitable and this is done quite often in Finland – especially among students.